"paul-verhoeven"

1990 · Paul Verhoeven · 113 min · Sci-Fi, Action

Total Recall is Verhoeven and Schwarzenegger at peak creative collision, a film that delivers relentless sci-fi action while smuggling in a puzzle about the nature of reality that rewards repeat viewings. The practical effects hold up remarkably well, the Mars setting still feels vivid and lived-in, and the dream-or-reality ambiguity elevates what could have been a standard action film into something that lingers. It's loud, bloody, and smarter than it pretends to be.

1997 · Paul Verhoeven · 130 min · Sci-Fi, Action, Satire

Starship Troopers is a film that gets smarter the longer you think about it. Verhoeven built a fascist propaganda film and then dared audiences to cheer along, and the fact that so many did only proves his point. The creature effects are spectacular, the action is visceral, and the satire cuts deeper with every rewatch. It demands that you look past the surface, and it generously rewards those who do.